Apparatus for heating, purifying, and distributing air in buildings.



No. 821,671. PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

J. RAPPERTY. APPARATUS FOR HEATING, PURIFYING, AND DISTRIBUTING AIR INBUILDINGS.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.l,1905

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s SHEETS-SHEET z A I M No. 821,671. I PATENTED MAY 29, 1906. W. J.RAPFERTY. APPARATUS FOR HEATING, PURIFYING, AND DISTRIBUTING AIR INBUILDINGS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.1,1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. RAFFERTY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

APPARATUS FOR HEATING, PURIFYING .-AND DISTRIBUTING AIR IN BUILDINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 1906.

Application filed February 1, 1905. erial No. 243,762.

To all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. RAFFERTY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forHeating, Purifying, and Distributing Air in Buildings, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention is an apparatus for heating, purifying, and distributingair in buildings, and includes means also for moistening or varying thehumidity of the air.

It is characterized by improvements with respect to the arrangement andconstruction .of the devices used to effectthese functions.

It includes means for taking air from the outside of the building,carrying it to heaters, (preferably steam,) passing it over water-pansand through saturated curtains or screens to moisten the air and purifyit of dust and other impurities, and finally distributing the airthrough suitable ducts to the various rooms of the building.

The apparatus .is particularly adapted for use in schools, theaters,churches, and other buildings where air is to be supplied to a largenumber of persons.

- In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional plan on theline 1. 1 of Fig. 2 of the basement of a building provided with theinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of one of the water-pans. Fig. 4 is aperspective view of part of the Water pans and screen. Fig.5 is avertical section of the screen on the line 5 5 of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is apartial front elevation thereof.

Referring specifically to the drawings, A indicates air-passages, intowhich the air enters from the street or outside the building through theopenings a in the outside wall of the building. The air first passesthrough screens X, extending across these passages. These screens may bethe saturated screens hereinafter described or they may be ordinaryscreens of woven wire.

B represents the steam-heating radiators, located across the passages A.In front of these radiators are dampers B for varying the amount of airsupplied.

A indicates passages leading to the fan F, which is convenientlydisposed between the corners of diagonal walls N, so that the eye f ofthe fan opens to the passages A, and outlets f and f 2 may lead inopposite directions on two other sides, the remaining side formheatingtubes, between which the air next passes after leaving the fan.

D represents ducts for distributing air to the various parts of thebuilding, and these ducts may be provided with dampers operatedautomatically by air-pressure devices regulated. in a known manner bythermostats in the various rooms.

Beyond each set of pipes C is a chamber E, containing thevaporizing-pans and the cleaning-screens, by which the air is humidifiedand purified before passing into the ducts D. After being heated by thesteam-pipes the air lacks humidity, and to supply this deficiency aseries of water-pans V are employed. These pans are supported by suitable frames M and. are arranged in vertical and horizontal seriesextending across the chamber, as shown. They have preferably taperedfront ends and may be conveniently made of galvanized iron. They aresupplied with water from a pipe W, having branches W leading to eachpan, where a float-valve cated at S receiving steam through branches Sof the main steam-pipe S. To regulate the quantity of air passingbetween the pans, deflectors K are placed between the pans. These arepivoted to the frame M by pins k and are operated by a rod 70, connectedto a hand-lever 7c on a quadrant. These deflectors may act to retard theflow of air to allow the same to take up more or less of the watervapor.Y Y

X indicates the saturated air-cleaning screen for removing the dust'andother impurities from the air and saturating the same before it isdistributed. Several of these screens are placed behind thevaporizingpans, or one or more of them may be placed at X, so as toclean theair just after it enters the building and before it reaches theheaters. Each screen consists, preferably, of a web of loose strands ofhemp or suitable fibrous ma- IIO terial. These strands are suitablyattached to top and bottom strips 00, provided with snap-hooks forconnecting the same to supporting rods. or rollers to the screen from apipe above the same, which has a series of perforations, so as tocontinuously sprinkle the screen with water, which drips down over thestrands. Any dust, soot, or other impurities in the air which passesthrough the screen is taken up by the water, which flows from the screento a trough WW thereunder and thence to wastepipe.

X is a lever with pawl-and-ratchet connection to the roller 9: fordrawing the screen taut. The screen is vibrated laterally by means of avibrator consisting of an electric motor Y, having a crank connectionwith the end of the upper rod X This rod is loosely mounted in itshangers, so that the screen is vibrated across the direction of theair-current, and the dust from the air is more effectively collectedthan if the screen were stationary.

Instead of employing strands of hemp to form the curtain, as shown, thesame may be made of perforated metal with slight corrugations, downwhich the water will flow, or of woven wire, wood, or other suitablematerial.

The apparatus is capable of summer use Water is supplied for moistening,purifying, and cooling the air. The use of heaters is omitted, and theair is allowed to flow over the pans and through the screens, whichbeing supplied with cold water will cool the air, as well as performingthe other fuDCtiOhS indicated.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an apparatus of the kind stated, an air-moistener comprising aseries of superposed air-pans placed across the air-current, which flowshorizontally therebetween, and adjustable deflectors located between thepans and extending horizontally, across the current.

2. An air-moistening apparatus comprising a horizontal passage throughwhich air is forced, a plurality of water-pans arranged in a series ofhorizontal rows one above the other and extending across said passage,and adjustable deflectors extending horizontally across said passagebetween the rows of pans.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM J. RAFFERTY. I

-Witnesses:

SIGNA FELTSKOG, H. G. BATOHELOR.

